Fire Will Save The Clan
by ShellfurOfSeaClan
Summary: What could have happened to Fireheart, or Rusty as he was once known, if SkyClan had never had to leave the forest...? Fire would have saved a different Clan, and everything would have changed...
1. Prologue and Allegiances

**What if I DID own Warriors? This would happen in the 1st series…**

 **Prologue**

The full moon floated in the sky, shedding its cold light over the forest. A faint breeze murmured through the leaves of four massive oak trees; dappled light and shadow moved over the pelts of many cats as they slipped into the hollow below.

A muscular, bracken-coloured tomcat emerged from the bushes that lined the sides of the hollow. He bounded across the clearing and leaped to the top of the great rock that stood in the centre.

Three other cats were waiting there. One of them, a she-cat with a brown tabby pelt, dipped her head in greeting. "Welcome, Redstar," she meowed. "How's the prey running in ThunderClan?"

"We've plenty, thank you, Birchstar," the ThunderClan leader replied. "Is all well in RiverClan?"

Before Birchstar could reply, one of the other leaders interrupted, scraping his claws on the harsh surface of the rock. His grey-black pelt was a shadow in the moonlight. "It's time this Gathering started," he rasped. "We're wasting time."

"We can't start yet, Swiftstar," the fourth cat mewed. Her creamy-brown pelt held the frosty shimmer of starlight. "We're not all here."

Swiftstar let out an impatient snort. "WindClan have better things to do than sit about waiting for cats who can't be bothered to come at the proper time."

"Look!" Redstar pointed with his tail toward the top of the hollow. The shape of a cat was outlined against the pale moonlight. He stood motionless for a heartbeat, then waved his tail and vanished into the bushes. More cats followed him, pouring over the rim of the hollow; the branches rustling as they streamed down the slope.

"There!" Dawnstar mewed. "SkyClan are here at last."

"About time, too," Swiftstar muttered. "Cloudstar!" he called as the first cat emerged into the clearing. "What kept you?"

The SkyClan leader was small for a tomcat, with a lithe body and a neat, well-shaped head. His fur was a pale grey, with white patches like clouds. He didn't reply to Swiftstar's question, but thrust his way through the cats until he reached the rock and sprang up to join the other leaders.

"Can we start now?" Redstar asked testily. "We're wasting moonlight."

"What _did_ keep you?" Dawnstar asked curiously.

Cloudstar met her gaze. "You'll hear later." he mewed.

Redstar let out a yowl. "Cats of all Clans, we gather here under the light of the full moon, in a truce." The cats lifted their luminous gazes to the Great Rock.

Redstar stepped back and glanced at Cloudstar. The SkyClan leader stepped to the edge. "We were late because the dusk patrol scented a fox." he meowed. "I had to send them out again to follow the trail, but it has left the territory." He glanced at Dawnstar. "It may have passed into ShadowClan territory." he meowed.

Dawnstar dipped her pale-furred head. "I'll warn the patrols."

"Also," Cloudstar continued, his pale-blue eyes glowing, "Birdflight has kitted, and Spottedkit and Gorsekit are less than a moon old."

His eyes met that of a beautiful brown tabby she-cat in the crowd: Birdflight, the mother of his kits. Her eyes glowed as she returned her mate's gaze.

The other Clans murmured congratulations.

"And we have a new warrior," Cloudstar mewed. "Fernpelt!"

Fernpelt stood up, her blue eyes gleaming and her tail flicking self-consciously.

The Clans cheered her name. New warriors meant celebration.

"The prey is running well and our Clan is well-fed," Cloudstar finished.

Redstar stepped forward to speak.

 _ **Many, many seasons later, when one of Birdflight's descendants is leader...**_

In a group of pine trees that grew next to the Thunderpath, two groups of cats were locked in close combat. A dark brown tabby pinned another tom to the ground.

"Blackfoot!" he spat, as the white tom with black paws struggled beneath his paws. "What are you doing in our territory?"

"The pines will always be ours!" Blackfoot spat, and kicked Leafblade hard in the stomach, knocking him backwards.

A yowl of pain came from nearby, and Leafblade staggered to his paws. A dark tortoiseshell she-cat was lying in the middle of the battle, her fur almost covered in blood.

Instantly, Leafblade knew what he must do. For the sake of Twilightsky's life.

"Retreat, SkyClan!" he yowled, his cry carrying above the screeches of the battle. "Warriors, to me!"

The cats bounded away from the ShadowClan warriors, who yowled in triumph.

Leafblade paused at the part where the pines gave way to oaks, hollies and birch trees. He glanced back, his eyes narrowed.

ShadowClan had taken part of their territory.

That night, a light brown tabby she-cat sat in the middle of the SkyClan camp, her golden eyes reflecting the stars.

She twitched her tail as a light silver she-cat with a fluffy pelt slipped out of a wide gap between the tree roots of a massive oak.

Birdstar rose to her paws and met the medicine cat halfway across the camp.

"Well?" she asked. "How is Twilightsky?"

Dovefeather twitched one ear. "Her wounds are deep, but she will recover. Don't let her on any patrols tomorrow."

Birdstar nodded. "And Leafblade?"

"The scratches on his stomach are already healing." Dovefeather mewed. "He will be fine."

Birdstar let out a sigh of relief. "I am glad." she mewed quietly. "That fox-hearted ShadowClan!" Her tail whipped the dusty ground angrily. "They would have killed a cat, without any mercy of the warrior code!"

Dovefeather nodded, her blue eyes glimmering with the light of StarClan in the moonlight. "I have had a prophecy." she mewed quietly.

"What?" Birdstar's amber eyes flared with alarm. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Dovefeather ignored the question. Her eyes were as deep as blue pools as she meowed, " _Fire will save the Clan_."

 **Allegiances**

SkyClan

Leader: **Birdstar** \- beautiful long-furred light brown tabby she-cat with golden-amber eyes  
 **Apprentice, Firepaw**

Deputy: **Leafblade** \- dark brown tabby tom with green eyes; Amberlight and Birdstar's brother

Medicine cat: **Dovefeather** \- beautiful, fluffy light silver-grey she-cat with blue eyes  
 **Apprentice, Shimmerpaw**

Warriors: **(toms and she-cats without kits)**

 **Hawkflight** \- dark brown tabby tom with golden-amber eyes; father of Birdstar, Leafblade and Amberlight  
 **Apprentice, Hurricanepaw**

 **Eagleclaw** \- muscular brown tabby tom with orange-amber eyes; Amberlight's mate  
 **Apprentice, Lightningpaw**

 **Shadowfur** \- thick-furred black tom with dark-blue eyes; Whiteleg's mate  
 **Apprentice, Dawnpaw**

 **Twilightsky** \- dark tortoiseshell she-cat with pale amber eyes; Hawkflight's sister  
 **Apprentice, Icepaw**

 **Silverstripe** \- blue tom with silver stripes; Goldcloud's mate

 **Goldcloud** \- golden-coloured she-cat with a white belly and amber eyes; mother of Lightningpaw and Hurricanepaw  
 **Apprentice, Moonpaw**

 **Falconwing** – goldenish brown tom with white paws and a white spot on his back, amber eyes

Apprentices **: (young cats, in training to be warriors)**

 **Lightningpaw** \- golden-coloured she-cat with a white belly and amber eyes; daughter of Goldcloud and Silverstripe

 **Hurricanepaw** \- grey and blue tom with amber eyes; son of Goldcloud and Silverstripe

 **Shimmerpaw** \- beautiful slender dark grey she-cat with silver-tipped fur, making it shimmer silver in the light, blue eyes; medicine cat apprentice

 **Moonpaw** \- grey she-cat with blue eyes; Dawnpaw and Icepaw's sister

 **Dawnpaw** \- yellow tom with amber eyes; Moonpaw and Icepaw's brother

 **Icepaw** \- slender silver she-cat with darker ears and tail-tip; Moonpaw and Dawnpaw's sister

 **Firepaw** \- handsome ginger tom with a flame-coloured pelt and green eyes

Queens: **(she-cats expecting or nursing kits)**

 **Amberlight -** ginger, white, black and tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes, a white muzzle, and a beautiful, distinctive dappled pelt; Birdstar and Leafblade's sister; mother of Eagleclaw's kits: **Sunkit** , golden tabby she-kit, **Adderkit** , brown tabby tom, and **Spottedkit** , tortoiseshell she-kit.

 **Whiteleg** \- blue-grey she-cat with a white underbelly and chin, blue eyes; mother of Shadowfur's younger kits: **Tigerkit** , **Lionkit** and **Leopardkit**.

Elders: **(former warriors now retired)**

 **Burntear** \- yellow tom with amber eyes

 **Halfleg** \- blue and grey she-cat with a leg that only grew halfway

ThunderClan

Leader **: Bluestar** \- blue-grey she-cat with a silver muzzle

Deputy **: Redtail** \- tortoiseshell tom with a red tail  
 **Apprentice, Dustpaw** (dark brown tabby tom)

Medicine cat **: Spottedleaf** \- tortoiseshell she-cat

Warriors **:**

 **Tigerclaw** \- large dark brown tabby tom with unusually long front claws

 **Whitestorm** \- large white tom with yellow eyes; Bluestar's kin  
 **Apprentice, Sandpaw** (beautiful slender pale ginger she-cat)

 **Lionheart** \- golden tabby tom with thick fur like a lion's mane  
 **Apprentice, Greypaw** (grey tom)

ShadowClan

Leader **: Brokenstar** \- dark tabby tom

Deputy **: Blackfoot** \- huge white tom with massive black paws

Medicine cat **: Runningnose** \- tabby tom

RiverClan

Leader **: Crookedstar** \- pale tabby tom with a twisted jaw

Deputy **: Leopardfur** \- unusually spotted golden tabby she-cat

WindClan

Leader **: Tallstar** \- black-and-white tom with a long tail

 **SkyClan Landmarks:**

 **The Pines** \- tall pine trees next to the Thunderpath, at the section where ThunderClan border and ShadowClan border meet

 **The Talloak** \- a huge oak tree, mostly used for climbing but has lots of birds' nests

 **Echorocks** \- a patch of large grey rocks that always sends an echo at the slightest movement: experienced hunters only come here

 **River** \- the river!

 **Treepath** \- a rough line of 12 tree stumps

 **The mossy hollow** \- a deep hollow in the ground overgrown with moss, apprentices come here to train


	2. 1 Into The Wild

**What if I DID own Warriors? This would happen in the 1st series…**

 **Chapter 1 – Into the Wild**

Rusty padded into the forest. The day before he had met a she-cat in the forest who had told him about groups of wild cats that lived in the forest: SkyClan, ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan and ShadowClan, and she was called Birdstar, leader of SkyClan.

Then she had asked whether _he_ wanted to join SkyClan!

Rusty had said yes, and she had told him to meet her deputy today! Rusty gazed in awe at the swirling, dappled patterns the light made as it shone through the leaves. Bird song chimed over the rustling of the green leaves of newleaf, and Rusty's paws padded softly on the flat forest floor. There was not much undergrowth, but the tree branches were in leaping distance, although only just.

"You need to use your nose more, kittypet," a voice growled, and Rusty whipped around in surprise, to find that Leafblade, the deputy, was standing a tail-length from him.

"I-I'm sorry," Rusty stammered, and the deputy's eyes softened slightly.

"You must learn that when you become an apprentice," Leafblade meowed, and Rusty felt a thrill run through him. Apprentice! "How old are you, exactly?" he asked curiously.

"Six moons," Rusty meowed.

"Exactly?" Leafblade blinked when Rusty nodded. "Well, you're the exact age a kit needs to be to become an apprentice. Anyway," he gave his dark tabby pelt a shake, "time to go."

Then, without warning, he bounded away. Rusty leaped after him, his paws thudding on the floor.

They pounded towards a huge clump of gorse bushes. Leafblade ran confidently towards it without breaking pace, and Rusty wondered whether they were going to crash into it.

He was about to veer away, until he noticed a tunnel in the gorse, sloping downward.

They ran down it, and burst out. Rusty gasped. It was a hidden hollow in the ground! The gorse walls surrounding it were curved over at the top, making it look like it wasn't hollow inside.

Cats were milling around, sharing prey or grooming themselves.

"What are they doing?" Rusty asked, his voice hushed with awe. And he had used to think that these cats were savages!

"Sharing tongues," Leafblade meowed, completely unimpressed by the camp. "At sunhigh, like today, cats groom each other and share news. It is an important custom for our Clan, and is a way of bonding."

Rusty nodded.

"That is the warriors' den," Leafblade pointed with his tail to a bush with low, spreading branches and sweet-smelling white flowers. "The apprentices' den is in that fern bush. The elders' den and the nursery are in bramble thickets, the medicine den is in that hollow between the roots of the oak tree, and the leaders' den is in the hollow in the roots of the willow tree."

Rusty memorised each den. He wondered whether he'd remember all the cats.

"You think there are so many cats?" Leafblade asked, as if he'd known what the kittypet was thinking. He sounded amused. "We haven't had any kits in a while, and our Clan is quite small."

Rusty blinked.

"Birdstar is coming," he meowed suddenly.

Rusty opened his mouth, and the Clan leader's scent hit his scent glands. A few heartbeats later, she slipped out of the dark gap in between the roots of the willow tree. Her head and shoulders pushed the low-hanging willow branches aside; they created a curtain over the trunk.

She padded over to the two cats standing in the mouth of the gorse tunnel.

"He came," she purred to Leafblade.

"He seems strong," Leafblade meowed, and Rusty felt proud that the deputy had complimented him.

"Are you ready?" Birdstar asked.

Rusty felt that he had something caught in his throat, stopping him breathing. He nodded.

Birdstar held his gaze for a few heartbeats, and Rusty saw the wisdom in her golden gaze... something deep she knew.

Then she turned and bounded over to a thorn tree covered in green leaf buds, growing beside the willow tree.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Skythorn for a Clan meeting!" Birdstar called, her words ringing through the camp like bird song.

Leafblade led Rusty forward, until they were in front of Birdstar's branch. Then he bounded onto the biggest of the enormous tree roots jutting out of the floor.

The cats crowded around Rusty, and he felt his pelt burn with all the confused stares.

"SkyClan," Birdstar began, "we all know how little warriors we have, and not many apprentices, so -"

"But this doesn't mean we have to take in a _kittypet_!" a cat spat from behind Rusty. He swivelled his head around and saw a beautiful young she-cat, with silver fur, darker ears and tail-tip. She looked the same age as him. Her blue eyes, glaring up at Birdstar, flashed like ice.

"Be quiet, Icepaw!" a cat standing beside her, hissed. Rusty guessed it was her mentor. The cat was a dark tortoiseshell with amber eyes, and her pelt contrasted with Icepaw's pale grey fur.

Birdstar twitched her tail. "StarClan has given me a sign that he _must_ join!" she called over the muttering of her Clan.

They fell silent immediately, shocked. Rusty stared at Birdstar in amazement. A sign? Why hadn't she told him?

"A kittypet can't learn the warrior code!" a cat spat, Rusty looked at the black tom with dark-blue eyes. He was standing beside a blue-grey and white she-cat. "Once a kittypet, always a kittypet!"

"I can learn!" Rusty flashed back, his fur bristling.

The black cat flashed his eyes mockingly. "Sure, why don't you go and catch some Twoleg pellets for us? Not likely!"

Rusty stiffened. Leafblade padded through the crowd until he stood right next to the ginger tom.

"The black tom is Shadowfur," he murmured in Rusty's ear. "You must show him - all of them - that you can learn."

"How?" Rusty mewed in desperation, he turned around, but Leafblade had gone back to the tree root.

Rusty craned his neck. Shadowfur was quite close...

"You won't survive the next leaf-bare!" Shadowfur crowed. "Kittypets are the softest cats - you probably won't last half of what a kit could do in battle!"

Rusty felt anger stirring inside him. A low growl came from his throat. He pounced.

He barrelled into Shadowfur; the black warrior was thrown off balance by the unexpected attack. Rusty leaped forward, slashing his claws. Shadowfur dodged with alarming speed; he swung his body weight around and knocked the ginger kittypet to the ground.

Rusty felt Shadowfur's weight on him, squashing him, as he pinned Rusty to the ground.

Rusty, thinking furiously, went limp, and Shadowfur relaxed his hold, yowling triumphantly.

Rusty pushed forwards with all his strength; his forepaws snagged in soft belly fur and he swung them down with all his might.

Shadowfur howled and fell back. Rusty jumped on top of him, pinning him down.

"Rusty has won!" Birdstar bounded forwards, knocking them both apart. "Rusty has won a battle for his honour." she continued, gazing around at each of the cats. "He has a Clan cat's spirit, and he will be trained as an apprentice."

Rusty felt another thrill run through him.

He gazed at the other cats, and saw them looking at him with new respect in their eyes.

"Until he has earned his warrior name," Birdstar meowed clearly, "this apprentice will be named Firepaw, in honour of his flame-coloured pelt." As she said it, a shaft of sunlight shone down on Rusty's - no, _Firepaw's_ , fur, making it blaze like flame.

The new apprentice raised his head with pride, enjoying the warmth of the sun.

"We have so few warriors in our Clan," Birdstar meowed, "so I will mentor him." Shocked gasps came from the Clan, and Firepaw's eyes flew wide with astonishment. "I will ensure that he becomes a warrior SkyClan will be proud of!"

She bent her head, and murmured quietly in Firepaw's ear, "I will help you fulfil the prophecy. _Fire will save the Clan_."

She said it so quietly, Firepaw wondered whether he'd heard her right.

"Now, there are three other apprentices who were apprenticed this morning." she meowed louder, to the whole Clan. Firepaw saw she was looking at Icepaw - _oh, no!_ \- and two other cats who looked like her brother and sister.

"Since they have done nothing but clear bedding for the day, all four of the newest apprentices will go on a border patrol with their mentors." Firepaw felt excitement coursing through him. "They will be able to see the territory, too."

Leafblade stretched, and padded over to a brown tabby, mewing something to him. Then the whole Clan broke up, doing their own things, while a small cluster of warriors gathered around the deputy.


	3. 2 Territory And Rivals

**What if I DID own Warriors? This would happen in the 1st series…**

 **Chapter 2 – Territory and Rivals**

"Twilightsky, Shadowfur, Goldcloud!" Birdstar called. "Fetch Icepaw, Dawnpaw and Moonpaw!"

The six cats padded up to Birdstar and Firepaw.

"Can I go to put something on these?" Shadowfur asked, gesturing to his stomach scratches. Birdstar nodded, following him with the rest of the group. Firepaw's fur prickled with guilt.

Shadowfur led them into the oak tree hollow - the medicine cat's den, Firepaw remembered.

His pelt accidentally brushed with the yellow-furred apprentice - what was his name?

The tom blinked amber eyes at him. "Nice to meet you, Firepaw!"

"Hi," Firepaw mewed, already feeling at ease with the tom. "Sorry, was your name... Dawnpaw?"

"Yep," Dawnpaw's eyes sparkled. "Hey, can we be friends? I can't stand living with my sisters and no-one else!"

"Sure!" Firepaw purred in amusement. He already liked Dawnpaw.

They padded through the hollow with the rest of the patrol.

It had sandy walls and a soft floor. There were neat nests of moss and bracken lining the left wall, and opposite the entrance was a smaller section, just big enough for one nest, which seemed to be where the medicine cat slept. Next to that was three deep horizontal clefts in the wall, and Firepaw could see herbs neatly stacked inside them - they looked like shelves in his old Twoleg nest, where his old Twolegs used to keep food.

"Nice, huh?" Dawnpaw mewed to Firepaw, as a light grey she-cat slipped out of her den - the medicine cat.

She had fluffy fur that rippled on her sleek body, and her paws were dainty and slender. Large blue eyes blinked friendlily at them.

"What can I do for you?" she asked.

"That's Dovefeather, our medicine cat," Dawnpaw whispered.

Shadowfur stepped forwards.

"Oh, yes, the kittypet attack," Dovefeather mewed, her eyes sparkling and a note of amusement in her voice. "Shadowfur, what happened to your battle training?"

Shadowfur rolled his eyes.

"Being a medicine cat means you can tease the warriors, right, Dovefeather?" Birdstar purred.

Dovefeather dabbed in a pulpy plant juice to Shadowfur's belly.

"Does he need cobwebs?" Twilightsky asked curiously.

"From a six moon old cat's claws?" Dovefeather asked scornfully. "No, I just used marigold to stop the infection. You can go."

As the patrol turned to leave, a dark grey she-cat padded in; her mouth full of herbs. She had blue eyes and when the light was on her fur it turned it a shining silver. She nodded friendlily to Firepaw, then padded past.

Birdstar led them out.

"Who was that?" Firepaw asked Dawnpaw.

"Shimmerpaw, the medicine cat apprentice." he replied. "She's still young, only two moons older than me."

Firepaw nodded and the patrol headed to the gorse tunnel.

As Firepaw was about to go through, Shadowfur padded in next to him. He turned to look at him.

Firepaw tensed nervously.

"Nice battle moves, kittypet," he purred, a glint of amusement in his eyes, and Firepaw relaxed, dipping his head awkwardly to the warrior.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

"Come on, Dawnpaw," he called over his shoulder to his apprentice. "Hurry up!"

They padded into the forest, with Birdstar leading them. Firepaw trotted in her pawsteps. He felt excitement welling inside him as he remembered that he was her apprentice.

Firepaw saw a mouse nibbling on a seed. He wondered if he could catch it. He crouched down and pounced.

His paws struck the leaf-strewn floor and the mouse scurried out of sight.

A snort of laughter came from behind him. "Better luck next time, _kittypet_!" a cat sneered.

Firepaw swung around and saw the silver apprentice, Icepaw, with amusement in her eyes. The rest of the patrol had paused.

"It was a great first try," Birdstar meowed, sounding pleased.

Icepaw snorted as the patrol moved on. Firepaw fell further to the back bacause he was further apart. Icepaw dropped back so she was nearby.

"I can't believe Birdstar actually accepted _you_ into the Clan," Icepaw growled.

"Well get used to it!" Firepaw retorted, and Icepaw's head swung round to look at him.

The challenging gleam in her eyes, the scornfulness of her tone and the way she stood, with her head raised arrogantly, made something stir deep inside him, something that made him _want_ to argue with her.

Before he could speak again, Birdstar padded in between them.

"Stop fighting." she growled. "Firepaw, come on, we're near the ShadowClan border."

"Really?" Firepaw bounded ahead of the patrol.


	4. 3 ThunderClan

**What if I DID own Warriors? This would happen in the 1st series…**

 **Chapter 3 - ThunderClan**

Firepaw slowly crept through the bushes, his eyes fixed on the huge pigeon.

He pounced, landing squarely on top of it, his forepaws pinning down its wings. Remembering the warrior code, he bit down cleanly on its neck, then lifted it up.

His biggest prey yet! He raised his head proudly. This would feed the queens and their kits!

"Huh, nice catch, kittypet!" a sarcastic call made Firepaw stop. A low growl came from his throat.

"You had to catch the oldest, deafest bird ever!" Icepaw's voice crowed. "It's so fat it couldn't have flown away! Leopardkit could have caught that!"

Leopardkit, along with her brothers, Tigerkit and Lionkit, were the youngest kits.

Firepaw dropped his prey and leaped into the bramble bush, hitting Icepaw. She gave a yowl of surprise and the two apprentices rolled over in a flurry of paws and fur.

"Get off me, you stupid kittypet!" Icepaw hissed: when they finally stopped, Firepaw pinned her to the ground.

"Make me!" Firepaw growled.

"Fine!" she spat. She swiped her forepaw at him, it caught his muzzle and Firepaw felt pain sear through it as her claws caught skin.

She lunged at him, and Firepaw fell off her. He dodged her slashing claws and barrelled into her chest.

"Stop it!" a cat growled, and the two apprentices sprang apart, panting.

Firepaw looked round to see Birdstar, Twilightsky, Shadowfur and Dawnpaw standing on the top of the ridge.

"That's enough," Birdstar growled. "Icepaw, come with us on the border patrol, if you haven't got anything better to do."

"And me?" Firepaw asked hesitantly.

Birdstar turned her gaze on him. "Your hunting task will be extended until we come back." she meowed. "Go around where the stream begins."

Firepaw dipped his head. "Yes, Birdstar." He traced the route in his head. He would be going near the ThunderClan border.

Birdstar paused and glanced at the pigeon. Then she led her Clanmates into the trees.

Firepaw started to pad towards it, so he could bury it, when he heard a voice.

"Firepaw?"

"Yes, Birdstar?" he looked back.

Birdstar's amber gaze softened. "Nice catch," she mewed, before disappearing with the rest of her patrol into the trees.

Firepaw felt a thrill run through him at his leader's praise. Then, feeling happier than ever, he scraped dry leaves and earth over his prey, and trotted silently along the bank of the stream.

It had been a moon since he had joined the Clan, and although Icepaw hadn't changed, Firepaw felt at ease with SkyClan.

He soon heard a mouse scrabbling in the grass on the bank. He paused, then stepped forward lightly.

He remembered Birdstar telling him: _A mouse hears you before it scents you, and a rabbit feels your pawsteps in the ground_.

He must not be heard by the mouse.

He kept his weight on his haunches, but he felt himself slipping to one side.

The mouse pricked its ears. Firepaw held his breath, stiffening. The mouse fled.

'Mouse dung!' Firepaw cursed under his breath, then bounded after it. He climbed up the trunk of an oak, then saw it scurrying below him.

Remembering the fearsome SkyClan 'Sky Drop' move that could be used for prey and enemy, he leapt off the branch and landed behind the mouse.

He slashed its throat with his claws, then picked it up delicately in his teeth. He realised he'd gone close to the ThunderClan border, and instinctively scented the air.

ThunderClan patrol!

Firepaw forced himself to relax. He wasn't over the border!

He saw a patrol stepping through the bushes, and forced his flame-coloured fur to lie flat. He padded near the border, making sure he didn't split the skin of the mouse with his teeth.

"Hey! Are you a SkyClan apprentice?"

Firepaw dropped the mouse and looked round.

The ThunderClan patrol, a white tom, a golden tabby, and two apprentices (a long-haired grey tom with a slender pale ginger she-cat) were looking at him. The white tom had spoken.

"Yes," Firepaw dipped his head uneasily to the ThunderClan warriors, hoping he was reacting right. He still hadn't completely memorised Clan ways yet.

To his relief, the white tom nodded. "We'll move along, then."

Firepaw nodded, and turned back to the mouse, when his fur prickled.

He looked up to see the pale ginger she-cat watching him. His fur felt hot and he felt self-conscious, but he just nodded to her and padded away.

Even when he was back at the small pool where the stream began, further away from the border, his thoughts kept sliding back to the ginger apprentice.

He pushed them away angrily. He soon caught a squirrel, and heard voices.

He dropped it near his mouse and bounded over, near the border again.

The border patrol were with the ThunderClan one. And the ginger she-cat looked at Firepaw again...

Birdstar glanced around. "Good hunting, Firepaw?"

"Yes, Birdstar." he dipped his head.

Birdstar turned back to the patrol. "Are you moving along, Lionheart?" She addressed the big golden tabby.

"Yes," Lionheart meowed. "We'll see you at the next Gathering, Birdstar."

"Very well." Birdstar dipped her head formally to him, and the patrol padded away.

Firepaw couldn't help noticing that the ginger she-cat kept glancing back at him several times, before the thick ThunderClan undergrowth swallowed them up.

They collected Firepaw's prey and padded back to camp.

"Welcome back, Birdstar," Leafblade meowed as he met them in the gorse entrance. "How was the ShadowClan border?"

Birdstar dropped Firepaw's squirrel on the fresh-kill pile. "The _new_ one, you mean," she mewed dryly, and Firepaw remembered the story that ShadowClan had taken the Pines before he joined.

She padded away with Leafblade to talk, and Firepaw dropped the rest of his catch on the fresh-kill pile, apart from the pigeon.

He padded into the nursery. The bramble thicket arched overhead, creating a cosy hollow, and the grass that grew there was thick and soft. Warmth immediately surrounded the flame-coloured apprentice.

The two queens, Whiteleg and Amberlight, looked up at him.

"Hello, Firepaw," Amberlight purred. "Is your apprenticeship going well?"

Firepaw nodded, dropping the pigeon. "I love it." he mewed.

"Thank you," Whiteleg meowed, blinking at him gratefully before she pulled the pigeon closer.

Amberlight nudged her. "I hope you're going to share that!"

"Of course," Whiteleg mewed. "Do your kits want any?"

"I'll save the softest parts for them," she meowed.

Firepaw dipped his head to the gentle queens, and ducked out of the nursery.

"Firepaw!" Dawnpaw called.

Firepaw padded over to where his yellow-furred friend was eating with Hurricanepaw and Lightningpaw.

As he chose a mouse for himself, Birdstar padded over.

"You and Dawnpaw are going to the Gathering tomorrow night," she meowed.

"Thank you, Birdstar!" Firepaw mewed happily.


	5. 4 Gathering

**What if I DID own Warriors? This would happen in the 1st series…**

 **Chapter 4 – Gathering**

The SkyClan cats bounded through the forest, and Firepaw kept well away from Icepaw, who was chatting with Moonpaw. Dawnpaw bounded beside him.

"This'll be great!" Dawnpaw mewed, his eyes shining. "We'll get to see what Brokenstar looks like!"

"Yeah, and we'll see all the great warriors!" Firepaw meowed.

"Yeah - Bluestar, Tigerclaw, Blackfoot, Stonefur..." Dawnpaw droned, and Firepaw rolled his eyes.

"Looking forward to your first Gathering?" Shadowfur asked, dropping back.

"...Whitestorm, Tallstar, erm, Lionheart..."

"Yes, but Birdstar won't mention -" Firepaw began.

"That you used to be a kittypet?" Shadowfur asked.

"...Leopardfur, Crookedstar, Mistyfoot, Russetfur..."

"Yeah," Firepaw ducked his head, embarrassed.

"I'm sure she won't," Shadowfur mewed kindly.

"Thanks," Firepaw mewed, relieved.

"...Redtail, Clawface, Nightpelt, and Oakheart!" Dawnpaw finished.

"Dawnpaw, you've pretty much mentioned every warrior in the forest!" Shadowfur mewed, amused.

"Well, they are good warriors!" Dawnpaw mewed, while Firepaw let out a _mrrow_ of laughter.

Shadowfur swung out his tail, catching the two apprentices in the chests, and he stopped them from running ahead of the rest of the Clan – into Fourtrees.

"Wow," Firepaw breathed.

They hadn't gone to Fourtrees when Birdstar had shown him the territory before.

It was a huge dip in the ground, with the Great Rock in the very middle. Firepaw gazed up at the Great Oaks in awe.

Birdstar paused, her tail stuck straight in the air. Then she swished it from side to side and led her Clan bounding down the side.

Firepaw bounded beside Dawnpaw.

"I'm going to find Shadowfur," he mewed. His mentor had disappeared into the crowd.

"Hey, where are WindClan and ShadowClan?" Moonpaw mewed beside them.

"ShadowClan? No loss there," Dawnpaw remarked and Firepaw meowed agreement.

"WindClan are probably too weak to even make it," Icepaw had trotted up to them. _Great, we get her nose butting in again!_ Firepaw growled inwardly.

"See you," Firepaw mewed to Dawnpaw, and trotted off, trying to find other apprentices.

He saw the pale ginger apprentice from ThunderClan in a small group and padded over.

"Hi, we've met," he meowed to her, and she looked around.

It might have been Firepaw's imagination, but her pale-green eyes lit up when she saw him.

"Hi, I'm Sandpaw," she mewed.

"Firepaw," Firepaw replied.

"This furball is Greypaw," she meowed, her tail hitting a thick-furred grey tom beside her.

"Hi," Greypaw meowed. He glanced at a pretty RiverClan apprentice sitting opposite as Firepaw settled down beside Sandpaw.

"That's Silverpaw," Sandpaw whispered. "Crookedstar's daughter." Her whiskers twitched. "Greypaw can't stop looking at her."

"Hey!" Greypaw protested, and Firepaw purred in amusement.

"ShadowClan!" Firepaw mewed loudly, as the scent hit his nose. He curled his lip in disgust and fear, remembering how ShadowClan weren't friendly with SkyClan yet.

"Where's WindClan?" he wondered out loud, as he watched Brokenstar – a huge, dark tabby with a bent tail – lead a band of vicious-looking warriors into the hollow.

"Didn't you hear?" Sandpaw whispered. "Bluestar wanted to talk to Tallstar a few days ago. She led a patrol into the territory, but there wasn't any WindClan cats! They didn't go far, but the place reeked of ShadowClan."

"They must have drove WindClan away," Greypaw put in. "For reasons unknown."

Sandpaw dug her claws into the ground. "Let me near Brokenstar," she growled, "I'll rip his pelt off!"

"You can try!" Greypaw purred, flicking her ears with his tail. She hissed at him playfully, and Firepaw found himself wishing she was in SkyClan. She could have been a friend, and he went cold at the thought of meeting her in battle. How could he fight her?

Sandpaw could obviously feel him watching her, because she looked round at him. She smiled, and Firepaw felt something odd inside him.

"Cats of all Clans!" Brokenstar yowled. "I will begin this Gather –"

"We can't start without WindClan!" a RiverClan warrior yowled.

Brokenstar lashed his tail angrily. "I will explain!" he hissed, and he looked so threatening that no cat argued.

Brokenstar stepped forwards to the edge of the Rock.

"As we all know, leaf-bare has been cruel this time," he began.

Crookedstar, the huge RiverClan tabby, looked embarrassed, for some reason. Birdstar, her beautiful pelt tinged silver in the moonlight, looked suspicious, her eyes amber slits. Bluestar, the ThunderClan leader, looked angry, her grey pelt glowing in the dim light.

Birdstar was the youngest leader there, Firepaw realised with a jolt. Crookedstar looked the oldest, then Bluestar, Brokenstar and Birdstar youngest. He had heard that Tallstar was the oldest leader. Firepaw thanked StarClan that their leader was young and full of life.

"Your kits died, so the Clans are smaller numbers." Brokenstar meowed. Warriors murmured agreement. "But ShadowClan kits did not die. We are hardened to the cold North winds, and our kits are stronger than yours since they are born."

Muttering filled the hollow, as the cats wondered what Brokenstar wanted.

"We have more cats than ever, and we need more prey," his eyes flashed orange. "We ask you to allow ShadowClan to hunt in your territories."

Outraged yowls rang in the air. "This has never happened before!" Leafblade spat angrily. "Why now? StarClan must not agree!"

"Must we be punished because our kits thrive?" Brokenstar yowled angrily, silencing the cats.

Crookedstar looked uncomfortable. "I have already offered ShadowClan hunting rights by the river," he meowed.

Yowls of protest came from his cats.

"We were not consulted!" called a grizzled silver tabby.

"I feel that this is best for our Clan," Crookedstar mewed.

Firepaw stole a glance at Silverpaw, but her expression was unreadable.

"Besides, Tallstar already refused," Brokenstar mewed silkily, "and WindClan paid. Do you want this to happen to your Clans?"

He fixed an icy glare on Birdstar and Bluestar.

"Besides, if you say yes now then you could ask ShadowClan for a favour sometime," Brokenstar mewed. "Maybe to help in a battle?"

"You doubt our strength?" a cat hissed angrily. He smelled of ThunderClan. He was a huge dark brown tabby.

"Who's that?" Firepaw whispered.

"Tigerclaw, our deputy," Sandpaw whispered back.

"I will consult with my Clan first," Bluestar meowed.

"Thank StarClan!" Greypaw breathed.

"Birdstar?" Brokenstar turned to the SkyClan leader.

"Say no, Birdstar!" Dawnpaw whispered, and Firepaw swung around to see his friend sitting down behind him.

"I will also consult with my Clan," Birdstar meowed firmly.

"Yes!" Firepaw whispered.

"You already have the Pines, Brokenstar," Birdstar growled, and Bluestar looked shocked and angry at that news. "You will _not_ take _any more_ of our territory yet."

She made it clear, but there was a hidden challenge beneath her words that Brokenstar could not reply to.

Brokenstar just growled in reply. "I will give you until the next Gathering to decide," he meowed.

"We need less time than that!" Leafblade yowled, and SkyClan called agreement.

Firepaw let a low growl out of his throat.

"Remember this, ThunderClan and SkyClan!" Brokenstar called as he jumped off the Rock and padded over to his warriors, "Remember, it will not be well to disagree!" His eyes narrowed. "You know what happened to WindClan."

With those ominous words shivering in the air, he turned and stalked out, his Clan following. RiverClan soon left, but Birdstar and Bluestar didn't move.

Firepaw, leading Greypaw, Sandpaw and Dawnpaw, padded over to hear what the two leaders were saying.

"…never." Birdstar was meowing angrily.

Bluestar nodded, looking slightly down at the younger leader. "Birdstar, if we have to unite against ShadowClan, then we will."

Birdstar nodded, dipping her head. "Bluestar, you will find allies in SkyClan – allies that are ready for battle."


	6. 5 Preparation

**What if I DID own Warriors? This would happen in the 1st series…**

 **Chapter 5 – Preparation**

The SkyClan patrol burst back into camp, and Birdstar immediately fell into deep conversation with Leafblade, her brother as well as the Clan deputy, and Dovefeather, Shimmerpaw listening hard behind her mentor.

The whole Clan seemed to buzz, the patrol telling different groups of cats what had happened.

Firepaw listened as Dawnpaw, Moonpaw and Icepaw told Lightningpw and Hurricanepaw what was happening.

His mind was a buzzy as the Clan's chattering. Would ShadowClan attack? What would Birdstar say at the next Gathering?

"If ShadowClan attacks, then we'll all have our work cut out trying to keep the kittypet from dying!" Icepaw remarked loudly, and Firepaw swung around to glare at her, his neck fur bristling.

"When you're pinned down by a ShadowClan _kit_ , don't come mewling to me!" he spat as Lightningpaw opened her mouth to speak.

"Will you two ever stop arguing?" Hurricanepaw mewed in amusement.

"Not when she starts it all the time," Firepaw meowed.

"Hey!" Icepaw spat. "You think you –"

"Cats of SkyClan, gather beneath the Skythorn for a Clan meeting!" Birdstar yowled, and Firepaw bounded away.

He sat down between Dawnpaw and Hurricanepaw.

Amberlight padded out of the nursery, closely followed by Whiteleg, the kits tumbling after their mothers, happily playing 'ShadowClan Attack'.

Burntear and Halfleg padded out from the elders' den, discussing ShadowClan battles in the past.

Shadowfur, Twilightsky, Eagleclaw and Hawkflight padded from the fresh-kill pile, their faces dark, while the younger warriors, Falconwing, Goldcloud and Silverstripe, sat discussing the problem at the base of the Skythorn.

Meanwhile, Dovefeather and Shimmerpaw were deep in conversation about StarClan signs and herbs.

Leafblade bounded up to stand beside his sister on the branch where she addressed the Clan.

"Cats of SkyClan," Birdstar meowed, "you have all heard of what happened tonight."

"And we will not surrender!" Leafblade yowled in a magnificent voice. The Clan yowled agreement.

"No, we will not." Birdstar agreed firmly. "Also, we may find allies with ThunderClan. We must use this. Two Clans united will be stronger against ShadowClan's many numbers."

The Clan murmured agreement, and for some reason Firepaw thought of Sandpaw. He pushed the thought away uncomfortably.

"We must prepare!" Birdstar's call jolted Firepaw out of his thoughts. "And we also need more warriors."

Her gaze fixed on Lightningpaw and Hurricanepaw.

"Wash!" Goldcloud mewed, rushing towards her kits and covering them with licks, while the other apprentices looked on with amusement and envy.

Silverstripe, their father, suddenly looked huge as he puffed out his chest with pride. It was obvious the family were related: Hurricanepaw's grey pelt was almost like his father's, while Lightningpaw was the smaller image of Goldcloud.

"Step forward," Birdstar ordered the apprentices. Their eyes shining, they stepped before their leader while the Clan drew back around them.

"Eagleclaw and Hawkflight," Birdstar meowed, "Are you satisfied that your apprentices are ready?"

"Yes," Eagleclaw meowed proudly.

"Hurricanepaw is more than ready." Hawkflight purred.

Birdstar looked down at them. Firepaw's fur shivered with anticipation. One day, he would have this ceremony. He could feel Dawnpaw quivering beside him, but that was nothing compared to how solemn and excited the oldest apprentices looked.

"I, Birdstar, leader of SkyClan, call upon our warrior ancestors to look down upon these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Hurricanepaw and Lightningpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your lives?"

"I do," there wasn't a trace of doubt in Hurricanepaw's voice.

"I do," Lightningpaw meowed firmly.

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Hurricanepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Hurricaneclaw. StarClan honours your courage and strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SkyClan."

She rested her muzzle on the new warrior's head, and he licked her shoulder before stepping back to join Falconwing.

"Lightningpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Lightningstrike. StarClan honours your spirit and intelligence, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SkyClan."

"Hurricaneclaw! Lightningstike!" the Clan called.

Firepaw joined in happily. He couldn't wait for his warrior ceremony.

"In the tradition of our ancestors, the new warriors will guard the camp silently while we sleep tonight." Birdstar meowed. "But before they go, we must still prepare."

They were back on the subject of ShadowClan.

"Silverstripe, you will be in charge of reinforcing the gorse barrier," Birdstar meowed. "Shadowfur, you and Hawkflight will work on reinforcing the dens. I want Leafblade to oversee the apprentices' battle skills. Eagleclaw, you will be in charge of the patrols around the ShadowClan border. We'll also need to make a secret exit – just in case."

"Do you want me to lead a patrol now?" Eagleclaw asked.

"Yes. Make it the dusk patrol," Birdstar meowed.

"I'll go," Twilightsky offered. "Come on, Icepaw!"

"What? Now?" Icepaw mewed irritably. She sighed. " _Fine_."

Firepaw smirked at her – and she hit him with her tail.

"Ow!" Firepaw glared at her but she didn't look back.

"Firepaw," Firepaw looked up and saw the rest of the Clan had broken up. The new warriors were sitting alone in the middle of the camp. Birdstar had spoken.

"I'd like you to go out and help Shimmerpaw collect herbs tomorrow," Birdstar explained.

"Why?" he asked, trying to force awy the disappointment in his voice.

Birdstar heard it anyway. "Dovefeather is preparing the combat herbs in bundles, so she doesn't have time."

"Okay, Birdstar," Firepaw mewed. He would much rather go hunting for the Clan, though.

He padded over to the apprentices' den, and curled up, gazing at the soft fern roof as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 **What do you guys think of the story so far? Please review if you liked it, and let me know if I should keep updating!**


	7. 6 Brokenstar's Promise

**What if I DID own Warriors? This would happen in the 1st series…**

 **Chapter 8 – Brokenstar's Promise**

The next day, Firepaw blinked awake to see Dawnpaw prodding him.

"What?" he yawned.

"Birdstar's called a Clan meeting!" he mewed happily.

Firepaw followed him and sat down at the edge of the Clan.

Suddenly, Firepaw noticed Mousefur, a young ThunderClan cat, cowering on the ground in front of the Skythorn.

 _What is going on?_

"ThunderClan are in trouble!" Birdstar yowled. "ShadowClan are attacking!"

"We must help!" Leafblade called from his usual root.

She flicked her tail. "We are allies."

Mousefur blinked. "ThunderClan would do the same," she mewed. "But now they are in trouble!"

Her eyes were wide.

"Leafblade will be in charge of the camp," she ordered. "The patrol will be: myself, Hawkflight, Eagleclaw, Shadowfur, Twilightsky, Silverstripe, Firepaw, Dawnpaw and Icepaw!"

Firepaw leaped to his paws, energy and excitement thrilling him.

He bounded beside his mentor as they raced through the trees, Mousefur in the lead.

"Remember, you have only had a bit of battle training," she told him, "rely on your instincts when you don't know what to do."

"I will make you proud, Birdstar," Firepaw vowed.

They raced through the trees like a furry, shimmering river, their paws thudding on the forest floor like a rhythm.

They crossed the border, and Birdstar lengthened the stride so they were bounding through the thick undergrowth of ThunderClan territory.

They charged into the ThunderClan cmp.

Firepaw's eyes flew wide with astonishment. The clearing in the sandy ravine was full of screeching, battling cats.

" _SkyClan, attack!_ " Birdstar let out the fierce caterwaul before plunging into battle.

Firepaw braced himself. He could see that the ThunderClan cats were outnumbered.

At once a black tom bowled him over.

Thinking furiously, Firepaw leaped to his paws swiftly. _Now what?_ The tom was young, but much bigger than him.

Firepaw quickly did a forward roll before the enemy could react, and kicked out hard with his hand paws, gouging the tom's soft underbelly.

He yowled in pain and leaped high.

Firepaw saw his weight some onto his forepaws as he straightened out in mid-air, and knew he was going to be squashed.

He tried to roll out the way, but he was too slow.

He found himself pinned down easily.

 _Firepaw, you mouse-brain! You call yourself a warrior apprentice?_

He swiped his forepaws and caught the other cat's muzzle, but he didn't get a good enough grip and only pulled out fur, not splitting the skin.

He hissed in frustration, and the other cat raked his hind paws down Firepaw's stomach.

Firepaw yowled in pain, feeling it rake through him, burning.

Then he caught a glimpse of ginger fur, and a cat leaped onto the black warrior, knocking him off.

 _Sandpaw!_

He leaped forward to help her, slashing hard at the ShadowClan cat's flank. Sandpaw leaped high, landing on the tom's back and biting hard on his scruff.

Growling, the tom shook them off and fled into the undergrowth.

Sandpaw saw a dark-brown apprentice, Dustpaw, in trouble facing two cats, and whispered something into Firepaw's ear before bounding off.

Firepaw hadn't heard her properly. But he had no time to think about it.

He saw Birdstar, pinned to the ground by… Brokenstar!

He snarled and leaped high, landing in Brokenstar's flank and throwing him sideways.

Firepaw clawed the dark tabby fiercely, overcome by rage that Birdstar was hurt.

A flash of tabby fur caught his eye and he saw Birdstar beside him.

Brokenstar hissed.

"Can't take me on yourself, Birdstar?" he spat. "I didn't know you needed an apprentice to save you!"

Birdstar glanced at Firepaw. "Go now," she ordered him. She turned her golden gaze back to the ShadowClan leader. "I must fight for my honour."

Firepaw dipped his head and leaped away as Brokenstar and Birdstar became locked in a furious combat.

"ShadowClan, retreat!" Brokenstar yowled.

Firepaw whipped around. Brokenstar was glaring at Birdstar with glittering eyes.

The ShadowClan cats bounded out.

"And stay away!" a ThunderClan cat yowled after them.

"Thank you," Bluestar meowed to Birdstar.

"Don't worry about it," she murmured.

Dawnpaw bounded over to Firepaw. "I pinned down Clawface!" he mewed triumphantly. "But… then he got away."

" _I_ clawed Brokenstar!" Firepaw meowed.

"No way!" Icepaw mewed, padding over. "I bet he turned you into crowfood!"

"No, it's true!" Firepaw protested, his green eyes wide.

"Sure, kittypet!" Icepaw growled. "You can _claw_ Brokenstar, but when you face _me_ , you wail like a kit!"

"Oh yeah?" Firepaw dropped into a crouch. "Want to bet?"

"A moons worth of dawn patrols!" Icepaw hissed, playful as well as angry. Firepaw found that odd.

"You're on!" he growled, tail lashing.

Dawnpaw sat down with a bump. "I can't wait to watch this!" he declared, and Firepaw shot him a half-amused half-annoyed look.

"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side!" he mewed.

" _Excuse me_ ," Icepaw meowed. "He's _my_ brother, kittypet!"

"Do you want to stay and let Spottedleaf patch you all up?" Bluestar was asking.

"Yes, thanks," Birdstar mewed. "I can't risk any warriors fainting on the way home. The blood scent would scare away ThunderClan prey!" she mewed jokingly.

Bluestar nodded slowly.

"Firepaw!" Spottedleaf called.

Firepaw padded over to the tortoiseshell medicine cat. She pressed cobwebs into his wounds, and Firepaw gritted his teeth against the pain, glancing down at his stomach wounds.

Firepaw didn't see, but Spottedleaf had a very odd look in her amber eyes as she watched the young apprentice.

"You fought bravely," she murmured into his ear.

"Back off, Spottedleaf!" Sandpaw hissed from behind him.

Firepaw looked at her in confusion. _Spottedleaf was only being friendly… right? Why does Sandpaw suddenly go angry at her?_

Then he saw jealousy in her eyes – _jealousy?_

"You're done," Spottedleaf mewed.

Firepaw stood and padded away.

Sandpaw bounded after him. "Firepaw!" she called.

"Yeah?" he looked at her.

"Could you meet me in four days at night – at Fourtrees?" she asked.

Firepaw looked confused. "Why?"

"Just – please be there!" Sandpaw mewed desperately.

"Okay," Firepaw meowed slowly.

He was about to ask her what she'd whispered to him, but then Birdstar called to her Clan, and Firepaw had to just watch as he was led away from the ThunderClan camp. And still she watched him.


	8. 7 Fourtrees

**What if I DID own Warriors? This would happen in the 1st series…**

 **Chapter 9 – Fourtrees**

The moon shone its light down on the SkyClan camp four days later, illuminating a small, flame-coloured shape as the apprentice slipped through the gorse barrier, remembering to duck under the half-finished hanging thorn defences.

Firepaw kept wondering to himself – _why_ did Sandpaw want to meet him? What had she whispered in the battle four days ago? Why had she snapped at Spottedleaf, when the medicine cat was being friendly?

Fireaw sighed as he padded through the trees. _She-cats,_ he thought irritably, _they're so weird. Especially Icepaw._

But then Icepaw was Icepaw. No-one could change that.

As Firepaw thought that, he smiled to himself. Icepaw would never stop arguing with him.

The SkyClan cats always went down the ThunderClan border to get to Fourtrees, and Firepaw did just that, trotting neatly in the scent marks.

Fourtrees looked… bare, without its usual cluster of cats at the Gatherings. The hollow looked much bigger than usual, and Firepaw couldn't see Sandpaw.

He padded down the slope until he was directly underneath the Great Rock.

She hadn't come? Firepaw sighed sadly.

"Firepaw!"

He lookd around to see her bounding over.

"I thought you wouldn't come!" she mewed.

"I did," Firepaw meowed.

"Yes," Sandpw was looking at him. Firepaw's fur burned hot.

"So, why did you want to meet me?" he asked.

Sandpaw looked puzzled. "I thought you knew."

"No. You didn't tell me," he reminded her.

Sandpaw was staring at him as if she wanted to say something. She half-opened her mouth, then closed it again.

"What did you whisper to me at the battle?" Firepaw asked, changing the subject.

"You didn't hear?" Sandpaw looked relieved he'd changed the subject, too. "Okay, I'll whisper it again."

She leant forwards, and their pelts brushed accidentally. Firepaw suddenly felt very uncomfortable, and half-hoped she would move away straight away.

Sandpaw whispered into Firepaw's ear…

* * *

"Firepaw."

Firepaw looked up sleepily.

The sky was lightening: it was a blue colour, although still dark.

"We fell asleep," Sandpaw meowed.

Firepaw stood up and shook his flame-coloured pelt. "Oh. So we have to go."

Sandpaw nodded.

She brushed her muzzle against Firepaw's. "Will we meet again?" she asked.

"Yes!" Firepaw's eyes brightened. "Tomorrow night?" he asked.

"Sure," Sandpaw meowed.

They bounded up to the top of the hollow together.

Firepaw glanced across at the border, where he was going to walk.

"Goodbye, Firepaw," Sandpaw mewed, and touched noses with him, before bounding away.

Firepaw blinked, stunned for a few heartbeats.

Then he bounded along the border.

 **Sorry for the shorter chapter.**

 **What did Sandpaw whisper?**

 **Can you guess?**


	9. 8 Assessment

**What if I DID own Warriors? This would happen in the 1st series…**

 **Chapter 10 – Assessment**

Firepaw slipped back into camp as dawn shed its light over the forest, carrying a pigeon. It was big and fat.

"Where were you?"

He looked up guiltily to see Birdstar.

"I-I woke up early, so I went to hunt," he mewed.

She looked at him, and Firepaw tensed.

"Well done," she mewed. "Put it on the fresh-kill pile and then find Dawnpaw."

Confused, Firepaw did as she said. He scanned the camp and saw Dawnpaw beside Icepaw and Moonpaw in the centre of it.

"What are we doing?" Firepaw asked. Icepaw shot him a scornful look but he ignored her.

"Our first hunting assessment!" Moonpaw mewed happily, flicking her bushy tail.

Firepaw exchanged an excited look with Dawnpaw.

"I'll catch more prey than you!" Icepaw challenged.

"You can try!" Firepaw hissed.

Icepaw's tail curled up. "Yeah, I can try _and_ win!"

"You hunt like a one-legged Twoleg!" Firepaw growled.

"I do not!" Icepaw crouched down. "Try –"

"Apprentices!" Birdstar interrupted her. "You will soon be having your first assessment."

She padded in front of them with Twilighsky, Goldcloud and Shadowfur.

"Firepaw, I want you to follow the stream then hunt in the berry bushes next to it. You will find plenty of prey there." Birdstar meowed. Firepaw traced the route in his head.

"Icepaw, you will hunt in and around the grassy glades," Twilightsky mewed.

"Moonpaw, hunt around the line of beech trees," Goldcloud meowed.

"And Dawnpaw, you follow the main river," Shadowfur finished.

Firepaw bounded out, side-by-side with the other apprentices.

"Remember, you will be watched!" Birdstar called after them.

 _I'll make you proud, Birdstar_ , Firepaw vowed as he bounded to where the stream started. _I'll be the best warrior in SkyClan. I'll show them what a_ kittypet _can do_.

He froze when a squirrel appeared before him. Holding his breath, Firepaw tensed his hind legs – they had grown as strong as SkyClan cat's in the time he had spent with them.

He pounced, forepaws outstretched. He pinned it down squarely and bit it hard.

 _Did you see that, Birdstar?_ He glanced around, but was not expecting to see any tabby fur or amber eyes anyway.

 _Oh well. I suppose she_ did _see._

He spotted Icepaw in the distance stalking a rabbit and resisted the urge the call out to annoy her. _Rabbits are so hard to find in our territory. And besides, Birdstar would see and tell me off. This is my_ first _assessment_.

He buried the squirrel and padded over the soft grass.

 **Okay, I'm sorry for the long chapter but im getting bored of the boring normal Clan stuff.**

 **Do you think I should speed up the apprentice stuff and make them warriors sooner?**

 **Please review and send me your answer! :)**


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